Archive for June, 2010

Adam Schein of Fox Sports, who is not liked by Brother Steve and who seems no more an “expert” on NFL matters as you and me, has gone on record picking the Pack to go to the Super Bowl this year. I figured it was a matter of time before we started hearing this sort of thing, but I was a bit surprised to hear it this early on. (Go here to watch the video – story #6.)

Schein points to the emergence of Finley, Rodgers’ fantasticness, Grant’s solidness, year #2 of Capers’ system – all valid. But when he makes his argument, he seems to place a special emphasis on his interview with Mike McCarthy in which McCarthy said the offseason program has been as good this past year as any. I know that’s important, but I’m not sure it is the anchor reason the Pack may be a Super Bowl contender.

Anyway, for some reason, I am not ready to make such far-reaching prognostications just yet. While I think the team will be good, I feel like I need to survey other teams and the camps/preseason etc before making such predictions.

Check out this MMQB article written by Houston right tackle Eric Winston (for Peter King). Fantastic. I like the way this guy thinks. Not sure I agree with all of the ideas he expresses, but I like that he thinks a bit differently and is willing to put his thoughts out there.

One particular statement I happen to support for some strange reason, is his belief that the Bears will be good this year. While I haven’t quite put together my pre-pre-season picks, one thing I’m pretty sure of is that the Bears will be very good this year (and that the Vikings will be shaky).

First of all – please read the comment by AZ Warrior made on 6/23 responding to the 6/22 Desmond Bishop post at Packergeeks. Interesting and nicely questioned AZ Warrior.

In Bedard’s response to AZ Warrior, it is at least implied that perhaps Winston Moss may be on OUR side here. Seems strange considering what he said but let’s flush this out. Bedard’s response to AZ Warrior begs the question: what about the possibility that Moss is actually a huge supporter of Bishop’s but that due to his frustration with Bishop not getting a chance – he put himself out there a bit by publicly encouraging Bishop to get out of Green Bay asap so he can get the playing time he deserves? This theory may seem improbable as it would be a risky thing for Moss to do – publicly undermine whoever it is who is deciding to keep Bishop down. But in re-reading the comments, it is possible Moss is simply frustrated that Bishop isn’t playing.

Further, and in the interest of partial disclosure, in the last couple days I have learned on good authority (shall remain anonymous) that this theory is likely true. So, this isn’t one of my “let’s start a rumor” posts – it’s more of a “let’s spread an existing rumor” post.

So, if I can’t blame Winston Moss for Bishop’s lack of playing time, who is left? Could it be that both Capers and Sanders just didn’t like Bishop despite the LBs coach apparently advocating for him? Not likely. That leaves one of two people who have been in GB Bishop’s whole career – Mike McCarthy or Ted Thompson. My guess is it’s McCarthy. As someone who prides himself on having an aggressive offensive mindset, I’d think McCarthy would want an aggressive player like Bishop on the field. Tough to figure…

(Sorry I’ve been out of the loop lately – have to admit, I’m a huge US soccer fan as well as a golf fan so between the World Cup, US Open and lack of Packer news, my posting frequency has sucked).

Read here from jsonline this morning. Bedard essentially talks about how classy Desmond Bishop is and how he has been very professional handling a difficult situation. Thanks to Schaef for pointing this out.

The striking part of this article to me is this quote by Winston “people thought I could be a head coach for no reason at all” Moss:

“I would anticipate Bishop having to make a career decision,” said assistant head coach/inside linebackers Winston Moss. “If he feels as though he’s ready to play more and move into another system, then he needs to not sign a contract (with the Packers) and he needs to move on and sign someplace else.”

The way Moss chooses his words here indicates to me that 1) he was bothered that someone asked a question about Bishop (and playing time?) and/or 2) he just doesn’t like the guy. I can’t help but believe the latter. (I believe it was Moss who was behind the Brady Poppinga-must-start approach that clearly didn’t pan out.) Compare for a moment how unprofessionally Moss responds here to how classy Bishop remains in what must be a brutally difficult situation for a good player.

The bottom line with Bishop is that the guy is still under-appreciated. The second he escapes Green Bay, he will dominate. Hawk was a bit better than Hawk has historically been last year but still no better than average, and not better than Bishop would be. Bishop is a guy who needs to be given a shot at a starting position. While I never wish injury on anyone, if there were an injury that allowed Bishop to get in (at any of the positions except perhaps Clay Matthews position), I would guarantee we wouldn’t see a decline in overall LB performance whatsoever. In fact, I’d be pretty sure it would improve with him in there over time.

(I hope that in the next interview a reporter has with Rodgers, he/she asks Rodgers what he thinks of Bishop’s lack of playing time. They played together at Cal and it would be interesting to see Rodgers spin a diplomatic answer.)

One thing I’ve had some trouble accepting is how the severity of injuries is determined nowadays. More and more it seems players get seriously hurt and then go in for a scan of some kind to determine just how hurt they are. Seems simple enough, but I find there to be a disconnect. The player can be writhing in pain on the ground for 20 minutes, unable to help himself off the field/court, tears streaming down his face, maybe some bleeding for effect, and when the player is interviewed he reveals he’s never been in so much pain in his life and labels it a “near-death experience”.

Then…the scan results come back and nothing is torn/broken/sprained/strained, so he’s fine, should be able to play in the next game.

Nowhere in this process, it seems, is there a determination from the player’s point of view that the injury simply causes too much pain for him to play. As long as the computer image reveals no serious issue, it is determined for him that he’s fine. And, what’s worse is that with the media, the results of such scans are made public immediately it seems putting tons of pressure on the player to convince himself that he’s fine. Maybe it has evolved this way due to technological advances that can very accurately assess injuries. But I still find it interesting that the player’s take on the whole thing doesn’t even come up anymore.

I had only read excerpts of the Rodgers’ interview on ESPN Milwaukee until reader Schaef sent me a link to the whole article. Interesting thoughts – can’t say he’s too far off either.

For those still not certain, let me clarify: Aaron Rodgers is definitely his own man. Sure he tried to tread lightly in the shadows of Favre initially, but this guy is his own man. We’re lucky to have him.

This situation obviously does not reflect well on the Pack and in that sense, I’m bothered simply by the fact that this has been a distraction. I’m also a bit bothered by the fact that anonymous Packers have said Underwood has had other behavioral issues during his time in GB. And on a fundamental level, I’m bothered by the possibility that despite no charges being filed, he may acted disrespectfully toward women.

However, I have intentionally waited until now to write something about all of this because I wanted to see if any charges were pressed against him. It appears that there will not be any charges. Like the Big Ben situation, just because there were no charges, this does not mean Underwood WASN’T doing something wrong – but it also does mean that there were no formal charges against the guy. And, I’ll admit that when I learned the stories of the two alleged victims had changed over time, I became suspicious of them/their motives. Either way, I’m ready to move on.

A more concerning tidbit I came across this morning was that 34 year-old Charles Woodson, who has 3 years left on his present contract, may be exploring the possibility of having his contract reworked. He is due another $20 mil over these next three years, but he’s also a smart guy and realizes that he outperformed his contract last year as DPY. Frankly, I hope this situation just fizzles out – and I can’t imagine he’d get overly worked up if his contract isn’t reworked.

…the Pack could be in trouble. There are rumors that the Vikings are one of the teams pursuing Rams’ safety OJ Otogwe (who just became an unrestricted free agent). For the last few years (sort of last year excepted), I have been a big fan of Otogwe. The guy can flat out play. I wouldn’t be disappointed if the Packers pursued him here a bit, though my guess is that the salary he’ll command would cause the Pack to discontinue their pursuit quickly. But I would be somewhat concerned if the Vikings (or Bears) picked him up. The Vikes’ pass defense is mediocre with only Antoine Winfield really scaring opposing QBs. Adding a presence like Otogwe would make the Vikes D significantly better (assuming Otogwe has fully recovered from the injuries he suffered last year).